In-image ads: end of 2 week test

See that little banner across the bottom of the image? We're testing that out.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to give me feedback about the new in-image advertising platform we've been testing for the last two weeks. Several of you voiced concerns that the ads felt too intrusive and misaligned with the topics on Offbeat Empire sites — especially on Offbeat Families.

After giving it a shot for a couple weeks, here's what I've decided to do:

Remove in-image advertising from Offbeat Families and Offbeat Home. (So many Offbeat Families posts are simply too sensitive for in-image photos to feel appropriate, and Offbeat Home doesn't have enough traffic to make the intrusiveness of the ads feel worth it.)

In-images ads will remain on Offbeat Bride for now, although I've removed all entertainment campaigns (stuff like TV shows and movies) animated ads and the ad counts are throttled so that they shouldn't appear on very many photos.

I'm going to extend the test period on Offbeat Bride for a couple more weeks to see how things feel with the throttling in place. Ultimately, I'm adding these ads with the hope of being able to give my editors raises, and it's just about balancing the intrusiveness of the banners with the value of having a happier staff. Thanks to each of you for your thoughtful feedback and continued patience with the testing on Offbeat Bride!

UPDATE DECEMBER 2012:
I've decided to remove the in-image ads from all Offbeat Empire sites. Thanks so much to everyone for your patience with us as we tested it out.

UPDATE DECEMBER 2013:
I've added in-image advertising back onto Offbeat Families. Since the site is now an archive, my strategy is focused less on readership group and more on recouping financial losses through more aggressive advertising like in-image ads.

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I just want to share that at one point while reading OBH an ad popped up for a Tinkerbell movie and little fairies flitted across the photo. It was actually kind of awesome. Most of the ads weren't that cute, but if they all were, I'd be like, "Heck yeah, magic fairy photos!"

The little bar at the bottom of the photo isn't bad (going off the one you posted since I haven't actually noticed any on the other sites, probably 'cause I use a blog reader ) The little heads popping up blocking content are sort of in the way, though.

I was ok with the new ads, but then when I came to a photo-heavy post (don't remember which one)it was too much. Tinkerbell on the first photo was fine, but then having to see Tink like 5-10 more times as I scroll down, that was almost torture. It was like: No Escaping Tinkerbell! I have never seen ads on every single photo in a post elsewhere; I think that is asking a bit much from a reader!

Is there a way to restrict it to only one image per post? Or to not come back when you click a link and then come back to the page? they're obnoxious regardless, but I was reading the monday montage on OBB today, and had to get rid of the beauty and the beast add something like four times, which was annoying enough to not really make me want to read the page at all.

I saw the many, many ads on the very first morning you implemented them (on OBM?). I'm pretty sure it was 90-100% of the photos, but also the pictures were zigzagging across the page, out of frame, so I was kind of hoping maybe it was a glitch I was seeing!

For me, while I really appreciate the feedback about the ads and am totally on-board with trying to make the Offbeat Empire's ads feel non-obnoxious, I also want readers to understand that ultimately the power is in their hands.

I mean yes: feedback is awesome! But each of us has a different threshold for what feels "obnoxious," and I want to make sure everyone knows that we all have control over your own browser.

Maybe I watch far too much TV where the little ad bugs fly across the screen, what feels like, every 10-15 seconds to tell me about ALL THE OTHER TV SHOWS EVAR!!!!11!11!!!1!, but I didn't even notice the ads until I read this and went back to OBB.

I'm still seeing TV show ads, and those are really the only ones that bother me since they have no relevance whatsoever to the content of the site. Is this a glitch, or are the above decisions just not official yet?

I'm not a big fan of the tv ads (for the same reason madeline suggested), but in all honesty I really don't care what the content is as long as it doesn't move. I can't read when there's some big flashing moving thing in my peripheral vision. I've actually put my hand over part of the computer screen so I can read an article before (not here, since these ones you can close).

Funny you should mention the ad block too. I recently added one, but then felt a little guilty when I came here. At least this website has ads for places that have cool things, instead of some booblicious chick on the side of my computer.

I actually haven't seen any of these. The only obnoxious ad I've seen, which I don't think is one of these, was the giant Aptamil ad that took over the whole background of Offbeat Mama. That one felt really jarring.

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The Offbeat Empire is a Seattle-based digital publishing company catered to nontraditional types working their way through the traditional passages of life -- creating a home and committing to a partner.

We want to help our one million monthly readers find ways to express their truest, most authentic, badass selves.